Soldier's Anthem
by LittleShinikami
Summary: Collection of drabbles and one-shots with the guys from Modern Warfare 2. Mostly based on prompts. Mostly Archer and Toad for now, but the others will make an appearance.
1. Tea

Toad hated tea. It was watery swill as far as he was concerned. Coffee, now that was the good stuff. Cowboy or froufrou, Chris didn't care, as long as it was coffee and _not_ tea. And yet somehow he found himself sitting across from Archer at a card table in the rec room playing poker and drinking tea. Fucking tea.

Ian made tea fairly often and he almost always offered it to Chris, who always turned it down because it wasn't coffee, so it wasn't unusual. But this time Ian had mentioned that it was his favorite tea and had given him this _look_. It was a look Toad had been seeing on the sniper's face more and more recently. Archer would look at him, waiting for a reply, face neutral, but his green eyes had this small spark of hope in them. Like maybe this time his spotter would sit and drink a cup of tea with him. It was Ian's weird, awkward attempt to become better friends. So Chris had accepted. And the barely restrained smile Archer had given him had been worth it.

Or so he'd thought.

He wasn't sure, because now, half way through his tea, he was sure Ian's eyes were taking on an evil little gleam. Chris was beginning to wonder if he'd been taken. He _thought_ Ian's smile had been the 'I'm-secretly-incredibly-pleased-you-agreed-to-tha t' smile, but it could have been the 'yes!-I-just-pulled-one-over-on-Chris' smile. He thought he was getting better at distinguishing between Ian's expressions. Maybe not.

Archer lifted the deck of cards, silently asking Toad how many cards he wanted. Chris sighed heavily. He had a shitty hand and it probably wasn't going to get better. Ian could wipe the floor with him at poker. He pulled three cards out of his hand and tossed them down.

"Three."

Ian dealt him his cards and gave himself two.

"Your bet," said Archer, greens eyes dancing. He was probably going to win. Goddammit.

Chris huffed and threw a four quarters down. Thank god they were both so cheap they didn't play with anything other than coins.

Archer met the bet and then waved his hand in a 'well-go-on-then' motion. Toad tossed his cards down with a scowl.

"Jack shit, eight high," he said, pouting.

Ian smirked and laid his cards down. "Pair of tens."

Chris sighed and reached for his tea as Ian took the money. He took a sip and barely hid his grimace at the taste. When he looked up Archer was watching him, one corner of his mouth barely quirked up and a positively wicked gleam in his eyes. Toad looked at his tea, then glared at Ian, whose smirk only widened.

He'd been had.

_Bastard._

* * *

**A/N**: Soooo... consider this an apology for not updating the Kitten Conundrum. I swear I haven't forgotten, it's just that writers block is killing me. So I'm doing some drabbles based on prompts to try and get my motivation back. I listened to "I Just Rage Quit" by TryHardNinja while writing this. I thought it fit. :D_  
_

These may or may not fit in the same universe as the Kitten Conundrum. I'll let you know if they deviate. Rating may go up, but probably not.


	2. Crash

Roach didn't know exactly how he had managed to get into this situation; him and Toad hanging on to a piece of scrap metal tied to one of the Humvees and being dragged through the mud and puddles, water pelting his face and mud splattering on his goggles.

Okay that was lie. He did know how he'd gotten into this situation.

It had been raining for the past three days and Gary was feeling restless and little down. Where he was from in the States it just didn't rain continuously for days at a time like this and it was starting to get him down. He missed the sun. And judging by the way Toad had started to look depressed, Roach guessed he was probably not alone in his feelings.

So Gary had brainstormed for hours trying to figure out something they could do out in the rain that would actually be fun. He'd overheard Jester talking about how back home his dad would pull him and his brothers on tubes behind a truck on snowy roads and it had given him this idea. He hadn't even been sure it would work, so he'd tested it, wrangling Jester in to help him.

When he was sure it would work he'd ran to Toad and Archer's room, already partially covered in mud, and told Chris to change into some clothes he didn't care about and come join him. Chris's eyes had lit up and he had eagerly joined Roach.

So now they were being dragged through the mud in the rain, screaming and laughing like five year olds. It was fucking awesome.

Until they hit a rather large rock and they were suddenly air born. Gary instinctively tucked to go into a roll and was eternally grateful that Jester had made them wear helmets and goggles. He didn't need a concussion or to be blinded by mud. He hit the ground with a wet squelch and slipped and rolled a few feet before coming to a stop. He quickly took inventory, probably just bruises and scrapes, and pushed himself into a sitting position. His goggles were covered in mud so he dragged them down to hang on his neck. In fact most of him was covered in mud.

He looked to his left and saw Toad a few feet away face down in the mud. He was shaking badly. Roach quickly stood up, boots slipping on the mud, and rushed over to kneel down by Chris.

"Shit, Chris are you okay?" Roach asked, helping Toad get up on his hands and knees.

He was worried that maybe Chris had hurt himself, but when he looked up at him Gary realized that he was laughing. Chris dragged his goggles down onto his neck and sat back on his heels. He grinned at Roach, blue eyes sparkling with excitement and white teeth standing out even more because of the mud covering his face.

"Man, that was awesome!"

Gary grinned back. "It sure as hell was."

The Humvee pulled up next to them and Jester leaned out the window.

"You guys alright?"

"We're fine," said Gary, waving dismissively and helping Toad to his feet.

"That was a pretty epic crash!"

"You see it?" Gary asked excitedly.

Jester laughed. "Yeah man, you guys flew! It was awesome."

"I wish we had it on camera," said Toad, wiping mud off his face.

"Aw, that would have been great to play on the projector!" said Jester, looking disappointed.

"Well, as much as I'd love to do that again to catch on film, I really need a cigarette." Gary attempted to wipe mud off his arms and front and failed miserably. Finally he sighed and gave up.

"No way you guys are riding in here like that. MacTavish'll kill me!"

"No biggy," said Roach, shrugging. "We'll ride on top."

"Alright. Let's go."

Roach and Toad climbed onto the top of the Humvee and got as situated as they could. Gary banged twice on the top and they started back to the base.

"That was fun."

Gary looked sideways at Chris. "It sure was."

The rode in silence the rest of the way back, but when they were just outside the base Chris spoke again.

"Thanks."

Roach turned to look at Toad, who was watching the muddy road as they zipped along. Dirty rain water dripped off his helmet. He looked better than he had when Roach had gone to get him. Gary smiled.

"Anytime man."

Chris turned and smiled back.

Gary knew he was a brat sometimes, but he also knew the guys appreciated his attempts to make them happy and laugh. And he enjoyed doing it. Yes, even when it meant being pulled behind a Humvee and crashing into the mud. It was always worth it.

* * *

**A/N**: Prompt for this was "crash" and there were so many things I could have done with this prompt, but this one wouldn't leave me alone. It was super fun to write. :) I listened to the Titan A.E. soundtrack while writing this. Particularly "Over My Head" by Lit, "The End Is Over" by Powerman 5000, "Cosmic Castaway" by Electrasy,"Everything Under the Stars" by Fun Lovin' Criminals, and "It's My Turn To Fly" by The Urge.


	3. Bring a Scarf

"I'm freezing my balls off," Toad whined.

"I told you you'd need a scarf in this weather," Archer answered, smirking.

Toad pouted. "I thought you were _joking_."

"Sorry mate."

"No you're not."

"You're right. I'm not."

Toad glowered at him and then looked back through his scope. They were currently camped out high in the Altai Mountains near the Kazakhstan/Russian border. High and rugged mountains surrounded them, as beautiful as they were deadly. It was early October and the mountains already had snow on them. The weather was mild, but before they had gone silent they had been informed that a storm was heading their way. That meant if Archer and Toad couldn't finish the op on time _today_ and start the hike to the extraction point they would have to stick it out in the mountains for a day or two. They would survive, but they also were probably not fully prepared for a full on Kazakhstani blizzard.

"This guy better be on time or so help me god," grumbled Toad.

Archer snorted and attempted to stretch his neck under his snow gear and ghillie suit. It popped and cracked and he sighed in satisfaction. Archer had to agree with Toad; he really didn't want to be out here much longer.

According to their intel the man they were currently hunting, Azamat Serikov, was supplying the Ultranationalists with weapons. He was conducting an arms trade with them today and Archer and Toad had been sent in to take him out. He was supposed to be arriving at the shitty little safe house they were observing in five minutes, at 1100 hours.

"Vehicle incoming, five klicks south of the safe house," Toad whispered.

Archer slowed his breathing, bringing his heart rate down. This was it. The lorry pulled into his sights and several men stepped out. One of the men opened the back of the vehicle. It was loaded with crates. Serikov and his Ultranationalist contact took out one of the crates and inspected the weapons inside. The two of them stepped away from the back of the lorry. The other men began unloading the weapons. Archer focused down to the scene in his sights, his rifle, and Toad's voice whispering stats. Serikov and the Ultranationalist loitered around talking. Archer adjusted his aim slightly and then slowly pulled the trigger. There was a crack as the rifle went off and the kick threw his sights off the target.

"Kill confirmed," said Toad. "And holy shit are they upset."

Archer took a deep breath pulling himself out of the trance and flicked the safety on the Barrett.

"Right. Let's get the hell out of here."

They grabbed their gear and began the long trek to the extraction point.

"I cannot wait to get back to base," huffed Toad as they pushed through the snow and trees. "My balls don't remember what warm feels like."

"I told you to wear more. Now quit your bitching and move."

"You told me to bring a fucking scarf," said Toad indignantly, picking up his pace to match Archer's.

"Did you?"

"No."

"Well there you go."

Archer knew that under his mask Toad was glaring at him. He smirked even though Toad couldn't see it.

"Bastard."

"Twat."

* * *

This was inspired by the prompt: "You'll need a scarf in this weather" over on the writeworld tumblr blog. I did way too much research for this short little thing. But I did discover that I now want to go visit the Altai mountains in Russia and/or Kazakhstan. Seriously. Google them. They are really pretty. I also had a ton of fun writing this. :D

Was also inspired by "Snowblind" by Black Sabbath.


	4. Crayons

When the door to their room slammed open Toad took one look at Archer and knew he had had a bad day. His jaw was clenched, the muscles jumping slightly, and there was a strange mix of aggravation and despair in his green eyes. When he glanced at Chris it was like a door slammed shut and his face went blank. But if Ian thought he could hide his emotions from Chris he was kidding himself.

Chris watched as Ian shut the door in an almost too controlled manner. He walked over to his bed and sat down, roughly running his hands through his short hair. Toad knew if he didn't handle this carefully it would blow up in his face.

"Rough day?" he asked cautiously.

Archer just grunted.

"Wanna talk about it?"

Ian was silent for a minute and Chris knew he was debating on whether or not to open himself up to him.

"Not really," Ian answered quietly.

Chris felt a pang of disappointment. He wished Archer would trust him enough to open up to him more. He sighed heavily and closed his laptop. He scooted to the edge of his bed.

"You gonna bite my head off if I try to help?"

Ian finally looked up, eyes searching Chris's face. "No."

"Alright. Then come over here," said Toad, sliding off the bed and onto the floor.

Ian walked over and looked down at Chris.

"Sit."

Archer raised an eyebrow, but did as he was told and sat down cross legged. He crossed his large arms over his chest, feigning irritation. Chris knew he was faking; he could see the curiosity on Ian's face. Toad reached under his bed and pulled out two coloring books, a container of crayons, and a bag of candy. When he looked up Archer was frowning and gave him a look he knew all too well.

"Shut up," said Chris to Ian's unspoken disbelief.

"Didn't say anything, mate."

"But you were thinking it," said Chris handing a coloring book to Archer.

Archer's lips quirked and he took the book. Chris set the candy and crayons between them. He opened the container, the waxy, slightly earthy smell reminding him of his childhood. It had been a long time since he'd pulled these out. He was thankful for that.

"My cousin did this with me a long time ago," said Chris, picking up a green crayon and twirling it in his fingers. He swallowed heavily. "Right after my mom died. It was the day before the funeral and it was a shitty day. My cousin dragged me away and made me color with her. She told me to do it whenever I had a bad day because it would make me feel better. It didn't matter if I stayed in the lines or what color anything was, the point was just to color. She was seven and she knew more about life then than I do now."

"Kids usually do," said Archer.

Toad nodded. "Yeah… we spent the day coloring and crying and… and talking about mom."

Chris had to stop and take a deep breath, feeling his eyes sting with tears. He hadn't ever really talked about his mom's death since that day. Ian scooted closer, their knees bumping. Chris exhaled shakily and looked up. Ian was looking at him with sympathy. It was nice to know someone cared.

"Since then I've kept these with me just in case. Cause, you know, it works." Toad set the green crayon down and looked Archer in the eye. "Besides her, you're the only other person that knows about this."

Archer looked down at the coloring book in his hands, his brow creased in thought.

"I can't believe you trust me this much," he said softly.

Chris frowned. "Why would you think that?"

Ian shrugged awkwardly. "I don't think I've exactly earned it."

"Why? Because you're a stubborn asshole sometimes?"

Archer snorted. "Something like that."

"That doesn't mean I don't trust you."

"Oh."

Chris rolled his eyes. "You're kinda dense sometimes, you know that?"

"I know," said Archer, his eyes becoming sad.

Chris inwardly cringed. He knew what it was like to have days where you felt totally worthless. He also knew that teasing was the last thing you wanted someone to do. He cleared his throat awkwardly and picked up the green crayon again.

"Here," he said, holding the crayon out to Ian. "Color to your heart's content and make yourself sick on candy." He smiled lopsidedly. "It'll make you feel better. Promise."

Archer gingerly took the crayon, looking at it thoughtfully.

"Alright," he said looking up at Toad.

Chris smiled and then flipped open his coloring book. He saw Ian take a deep breath, his body relaxing slightly, and open the book in his hands.

For a couple hours they colored and ate candy. They never said a word, just shifted and changed positions once in a while. At one point Chris had put on some mellow acoustic music. Finally Archer put the book down and leaned back against Toad's bed. He stretched his long legs out and crossed them at the ankle. Chris was sprawled out on his stomach, absently coloring a dragon. They had both decided to stop engorging themselves on candy about a half hour ago.

"Chris?" said Ian softly.

"Hmm?" Toad craned his neck to look over his shoulder at Archer.

"Thanks, mate."

Chris pushed himself into a sitting position. "You're welcome." He cocked his head. "Feeling better?"

"Yes," said Ian, smiling slightly.

Despite the smile and his more relaxed mood, Toad could still see sadness in Archer's eyes. It had been while since he had last seen Ian depressed. It seemed like Archer usually didn't let things bother him. However, something must have hit a nerve this time. When he had come into the room Toad had needed to tread carefully because Ian might have blown up. But now he needed to be careful or Archer might just shut down.

"Are you… okay?"

Ian looked surprised at the question. It made Chris a little sad. After all the things they'd been through was Ian still surprised that Chris cared about him? Archer took a deep breath, letting is out slowly. He looked away from Toad.

"I will be."

Chris gently nudged Ian's leg with his foot. "You sure you don't want to talk about it?"

"I just…" Archer trailed off and sighed, this time in frustration.

Chris waited, knowing Archer had a hard time putting things into words. Ian opened and closed his mouth a few times. He looked a little lost. He looked down at his hands in his lap.

"You saw how bad training went today."

"You mean your shooting being off and missing some of the targets?" asked Toad, frowning. That couldn't be it.

"I never miss," said Archer through gritted teeth, clenching his hands into fists.

"Everyone has bad days," Chris said carefully.

"What if we had been on an op? Someone could've been killed."

"Hey," said Chris, nudging him with his foot again, making Ian look up at him. "I've never seen you miss on an op. I don't think you have to worry."

"I got a lot of shite for it."

Toad snorted. "Ignore them. Everyone knows you're one of the best shots with any gun and _the_ best sniper."

"That's all I'm good at."

Chris blinked. "I doubt that." He had a feeling they were getting closer to what was _really_ bothering Ian.

Archer looked away. "It's been my life since secondary school."

"So… what? Your worth now depends on how good of a sniper you are?"

Ian just shrugged and fiddled with the hem of his shirt.

"You know a really good friend once told me that we're not just killing machines. That we're not worthless."

Archer looked up, recognition flickering across his face. "I said that."

"Yeah," said Toad, smiling. "You did. And it's just as true now as it was then."

Ian looked down and swallowed. Chris could see him fighting to keep his emotions in check. He set a hand on Arche's ankle.

"Hey."

Archer looked up.

"Believe it."

Ian nodded slowly. His green eyes searched Chris's blue ones, for what, he wasn't sure. Toad licked his lips nervously and broke the eye contact. It was a little bit unnerving when Ian would look at him like that, with the same intensity as when he was looking down his sniper scope. Chris wasn't quite sure what to make of it.

"Well," said Chris picking up the crayons and putting them in the container. "Now that we've stuffed ourselves with candy, shall we head to the mess hall to get dinner?"

Out of the corner of his eye Toad saw Archer smile and shake his head. He moved onto his hands and knees and began picking up the candy wrappers strewn around them.

"Sure."

Toad shoved the crayons, coloring books, and candy under his bed. He sat back and watched Archer toss the wrappers in the trash can. He caught his eye and Archer smiled. Finally Ian seemed back to normal. Hopefully one more rough day had been made better. Chris counted it as a win.

* * *

I debated not putting this in here since it's not a drabble, but I think it's too short to be a one-shot so it's getting stuck here.

This was inspired by a post from the imagine-your-fav-character tumblr. The post was: "Imagine your favorite character sprawling out on your kitchen floor with you, drinking sodas and coloring with crayons after a bad day."


	5. Song drabbles

**A/N**: So there was a OTP challenge over on tumblr to take your iPod, put it on shuffle, and write a drabble to each of the first ten songs (skipping if it was a podcast or something not really inspiring). So this is what came of it. I did have to skip a few things since I have some weird stuff on my iPod. o.O

I don't generally write slash, so these are more brotp drabbles. But 7 and 9 do have implications. Just in case that squicks ya.

* * *

_1. "Sail" by AWOL Nation_

"Archer" Toad yelled, banging on the door. "Archer, open this fucking door!"

Archer ignored him. He couldn't do this anymore. He couldn't keep failing everyone. He hung his head, letting the tears fall. He pressed the end of the pistol under his chin and took a shaky breath.

There was a crack as Toad kicked the door open, screaming Archer's name. They stared at each other for a moment. Toad rushed over and ripped the gun from Archer's hand. It clattered to the floor. He pulled Archer into a tight hug.

"Don't you dare do that," Toad choked out. "Don't you fucking do that."

Archer gripped Toad like a life line and sobbed.

* * *

_2. "Coming Home" by Tiesto_

Toad ducked into the building Archer had just gone into. Dry wall and wood splintered as bullets pounded into the wall and doorway.

"I think they're a little pissed," Toad panted.

"No shit," Archer replied, sarcasm dripping from his words.

Loud angry Russian could be heard outside. They needed to get the hell out of here.

"On three, head for the plaza," said Archer. "One."

Toad gripped his rifle and took a deep breath.

"Two."

He braced himself for the run.

"Three!"

Toad shot out of the building and he could feel Archer right behind him. They dodged around cars and civilians, who screamed and ran when the Russians started shooting.

"LZ is hot!" Archer yelled into his mic. "I repeat: LZ is hot!"

"Copy that," came Nikolai's voice.

Toad hoped to god they'd make it home in one piece.

* * *

_3. "Gravity" by Josh Turner_

Archer looked down into the amber liquid in his glass and for the umpteenth time wondered why he was in the mess hall getting wasted and moping. He briefly wondered if you could have a mid-life crisis at thirty. Probably not.

The mess hall doors opened. Archer looked up his vision swimming. Toad walked up to him.

"Drinking alone?"

"Yes."

"Not much fun."

Archer shrugged.

"Mind if I join you?"

Archer waved at the seat next to him. Toad sat down and took the bottle of rum. He drank straight from the bottle.

"Use a glass you uncultured shit," Archer slurred, pushing his glass towards Toad.

Toad laughed and took the glass. Archer looked over at him. Toad's grey blue eyes were alight with amusement and maybe a little fondness. No, that was probably the alcohol.

"You have nice eyes," he heard himself saying before he could stop it.

Toad blinked at him in surprise. He grinned.

"Thanks." Toad clapped him on the shoulder. "But you are very drunk."

"Yeah," Archer sighed.

"Come on," said Toad sliding an arm around Archer and helping him up. "Let's go back to our room."

* * *

_4. "Renegade Survivor" from Titan A.E. soundtrack_

Toad sighed contentedly as he ran his fingers through the warm sand he was lying on. It was so nice just to relax. He didn't have to worry about training or ops or dying. Archer sat down next to him and handed him a beer. Toad sat up.

They sat in silence, sipping their drinks and staring out at the ocean. The water sparkled and while it was inviting, Toad was content to just sit on the beach.

"I told you you'd enjoy it."

Archer snorted.

"'Yes Chris, mate, sometimes you do have good ideas,'" said Toad, imitating Archer.

"In your dreams," Archer replied.

"Whatever."

Toad laid back down on the sand. New scenery, same old Archer.

* * *

_5. "Lazy Days" by Enya_

The apartment living room was quiet; the only sound the occasional rustles of a page being turned. A fan spun lazily on the ceiling. Toad was sprawled out on the floor idly flipping through a cooking magazine. The best thing about staying at Archer's flat when they had leave was that he was an amazing cook. However, they were being lazy today and had decided to just order out later.

Archer sighed and Toad looked up at him. He was lying on the couch, his eyes closed and his book now sitting on his chest. He looked relaxed and unguarded. It was nice to see him that way. He always kept walls and barriers up when they were on base. It was good to see him let go.

"Don't strain yourself," came Archer's deep voice.

"What?"

Archer cracked an eye open and looked down at him. "I can hear you thinking."

Toad grinned. "Just trying something new."

"Well don't hurt yourself," said Archer closing his eye again.

"No promises," Toad answered, stretching.

"Hmm."

* * *

_6. "In Zeiten wie Diesen" by Silbermond_

Green fields and trees zipped past as Archer flew down the road on his motorcycle. He had put quite a few kilometers between himself and the base. As much as he enjoyed Toad and the guys sometimes he just needed to get away; to get some road under him. The feeling was freeing.

He didn't have anywhere specific in mind. He just needed to ride, needed to get away from his life for a while. Riding was the best way to do that. It was like he left everything behind, including his own deep thoughts. It cleared his head and made him feel much more at ease. He didn't get to do it nearly as much as he wanted.

* * *

_7. "115" by Elena Siegman_

"Don't you fucking die," Archer growled as he dragged Toad through the forest.

Toad panted and cursed as every step sent pain lancing through his torso. How many bullets were in his stomach he didn't know, but he was sure he wasn't going to make it. He cried out as he lost his footing and he and Archer landed roughly on the ground.

"I can't," Toad chocked out, tears streaming down his face. His vision was black around the edges.

"Yes you can! Yes you can," said Archer desperately.

He was hovering over Toad, his green eyes filled with anguish.

"I'm done." Toad held onto Archer as best as he could. "Get out of here."

"No." Archer pressed his forehead to Toad's, crying.

"Please."

"I love you."

"I know." Toad smiled weakly. "You're kinda obvious." He placed a hand on Archer's cheek. "Love you too." He took a deep breath, but never let it out. His hand fell as his life slipped away.

"Toad? Toad!" Archer screamed and began sobbing.

He didn't feel the Shadow Company bullet as it pierced his skull, killing him.

* * *

_8. "A Stray Child" Hack SIGN_

Archer quietly walked through the woods. It was just after sunset and the forest was quiet save for the sound of a few crickets. It was comforting and a bit surreal at this time of night. It was Archer's favorite time to walk. He stopped and took a deep breath taking in the earthy scent of the woods. There was a light breeze making a faint whooshing noise through the pines.

Sometimes when he walked out here Archer liked to pretend he was a child again. His parents had taken him and his older sister camping and he had wandered off to be alone again. No cares, no worries, just enjoying the night and being amazed by nature. But that was a dangerous and perhaps foolish thought. Nothing would be like that again. He had changed too much. He wasn't that innocent anymore, even if he wanted to be.

He sighed and continued walking, the slight sadness in his heart over lost innocence following him through the forest.

* * *

_9. "Moar Ghosts 'n' Stuff" by Deadmau5_

A heavy baseline reverberated through the club and made Archer's brain feel like it was trying to jump out of his skull. He had no idea what had possessed him to come along with Toad, Roach, and Jester to this club. This was definitely _not_ his thing. At all. Toad was currently flirting with a pretty red head. Archer was betting Toad would probably go home with her. He looked down into his now empty glass and sighed. This was going to be a long night.

Suddenly Toad was sliding into the seat next to him. He grinned and pushed a shot of frankly toxic looking alcohol into his hand. Toad leaned in to speak over the music.

"Drink this. You need to relax."

Archer just eyed the drink warily.

"Just do it. Maybe then you could get girl and get laid." Toad grinned.

"Not exactly my thing," said Archer, but he downed the shot.

"Oh… well…" Toad licked his lips and his eyes darkened. "We could go do something."

Archer felt his face heat, but he just quirked an eyebrow at Toad.

Toad shrugged. "Or not. Up to you."

"Not interested."

"Alright," said Toad not sounding too sure of that. "But you're missing out."

As he got up to leave he trailed his fingers down Archer's spine. Archer shivered. A wicked smirk flitted across Toad's face and then he was gone, lost in the crowd. Archer briefly wondered if maybe he'd shot Toad down too soon.

* * *

_10. "Revolution" by The Beatles_

"Come on Archer," Toad whined. "Can't we be done?"

"No," said Archer sternly. "Not until you can make that shot."

Toad groaned. "You're a fucking _tyrant_."

"Get used to it mate."

Toad scowled and looked back through the sniper scopes. They had been out here on the shooting range for most of the afternoon. It had started out as just a way to blow off steam, but Archer had turned it into a goddamn labor camp. He had set up the most fucking impossible target he possibly could and then expect Toad to hit it. And not just hit it, but bulls eye the damn thing. He fired off another shot and yet again it simply nicked the target.

"Fuck it!" he huffed in exasperation and roughly pushed himself to his feet.

"Toad-"

"No! I am revolting this is fucking stupid."

"Get your arse back down here," said Archer rolling over so he was on his back.

Toad frowned down at him. But there was a hint of a teasing smile on Archer's face. Toad crossed his arms stubbornly and looked away.

"Or what?"

"Or I'll get you down here myself."

"What the hell does that-"

Archer suddenly grabbed his ankle and yanked. Toad crashed to the ground with an undignified squawk.

"So much for revolting." Archer smirked.

Toad just flipped him off.

* * *

**A/N**: This was really fun and extremely hard. I might do this again since I'm not feeling well and lacking in inspiration. :/

I depressed myself writing 7. T_T Curse you Loose Ends. Number 10 is my favorite. What's your guys' favorite?

Constructive crit always welcome!


	6. Dim

Roach leaned back from the HummVee and wiped his hands onto his already filthy jeans. The HummVee had been acting weird a week ago so they had put it in the back of the little garage, everyone but Roach forgetting about it. He hadn't had time to look at it until today. Several of the hoses and seals were cracked and loose and one of the belts was missing. Apparently the men had ran the shit out of it and no one had bothered to look at it when it first started acting odd. It had taken him two hours to find all the problems and another couple hours to fix them all. They were simple enough fixes, but getting to them could be a bitch. That left him here; covered in oil and grease, the upbeat music of The Hives blasting through his ear buds.

He squinted in the dim light making sure nothing else was amiss. That was another thing. There weren't many vehicles on base, so the garage was basically just for storing them. That meant that the lighting was shit and he often wore his head lamp just so he could see.

He slammed the hood shut, content with his work. He pulled a cigarette out and stuck it between his lips and lit up. He took a long drag and smiled at the HummVee. Mechanical work of any kind was one of Roach's favorite past times. He had been working on cars since he was twelve. His dad had a '67 Mustang that they had worked on together. He had taught Gary everything he knew. He had kept up with the hobby even in the Army, fixing vehicles whenever he could. Being in the 141 he didn't get to tinker nearly as much as he wanted, mostly because they simply didn't have many vehicles.

But when he _did_ get a chance to get into an engine he went all out, making sure the vehicle was running as perfectly as possible. Just because they didn't use the vehicles often didn't mean they shouldn't be kept up with. They were a part of the team too. He hoped it wouldn't be so long until the next time he got to bury his head in an engine.

Roach exited the garage, flipping off the sad, little light. Maybe he would work on getting some better lighting in the garage. Working in the dim light was, after all, a piss poor way to work.

* * *

The prompt for this was "dim" and it took me forever to figure out what to do with THAT. I mean, really, "dim"? What the hell am I supposed to do with that? Anyway, this was inspired by "Two Timing Touch and Broken Bones", "Walk Idiot Walk", and "B Is For Brutus" by The Hives.

Constructive crit always welcome!


	7. Trolley Problem

Toad looked up from his cards and watched as Roach burst through the rec room doors and bounded up to him and Archer.

"Dude you guys I just read about this crazy ass philosophical question," Roach said, shifting eagerly from foot to foot. "You have to hear it."

Toad laid down his cards face down on the table. Archer leaned back in his seat and tilted his head.

"That's more Archer's ally," Toad quipped. "But, go for it."

Roach grinned. "Okay so there's this run away trolley flying down the tracks, right? And there are five people tied to the tracks and the trolley is headed right for them. You're a ways away in the train yard and there's a lever. If you pull it, it will divert the trolley. But there's one person on the other track. If you don't pull the lever five people will die and if you _do_ pull the lever they'll be saved but one person will die. What do you do?"

By the time he was done, Roach was practically buzzing with suppressed excitement. Toad thought Archer was the only one that got off on this kinda bullshit. Apparently not.

Chris shrugged. "Easy, you pull the lever. Better for one person to die than five."

"That's what I thought at first," said Roach, leaning forward eagerly. "But those people were obviously tied there by somebody. And what if by pulling the lever you're participating in his evil plot?"

Chris rolled his eyes and waved dismissively. "Even if that's true, that's not how it's going to be viewed by most people. I probably wouldn't be convicted for killing one person since I saved five and most people would think that was the right choice."

"Fair enough." Gary cocked his head. He turned hazel eyes to the other sniper, watching him expectantly. "What about you Archer?"

"I refuse to answer."

"What?" Toad frowned at his partner in confusion. "Come on, you're the one with his nose always buried in a book reading this shit. You _have_ to have an answer."

Archer clenched his jaw. "No, I don't."

"Sure you do," said Roach. "It's not like this is real life or anything anyway."

"Exactly."

Toad smirked. "So you'd let the five people die?"

"I didn't say that," snapped Archer, crossing his arms over his chest.

"You'd pull the lever?" asked Roach.

"I'd _prefer_ it if there was an option to save them all."

Toad snorted. "Well there's not. That's the _point_ of the question." He shrugged. "It is just a question. It's not like you're actually ever in that scenario."

"No, you're wrong," said Archer, his nostrils flaring and green eyes flashing with anger. "Every time we're on an op where there are hostages we're put in that situation. And almost every time we've come up with a way to save everyone. _Everyone_. To put forth a scenario like that and then limit what a person can do is bullshite. That's not how life works."

Toad watched his partner carefully. This was obviously something that had struck a nerve. He hadn't ever seen Archer get into a philosophical conversation and become that heated about it. Chris wondered why the hell this was so different.

"I guess that's true," said Roach carefully. "So… you wouldn't pick either option?"

"No," said Archer flatly. He set his cards down, stood up, and walked out of the rec room.

Gary and Chris watched him go.

"Sorry I asked," said Roach, his shoulders slumping.

Toad leaned back, throwing his booted feet up on the table. "Psh, don't let it bother you. You know how he is." He threw Roach a grin. "He'll go and brood for a while and then be back to his oh _so_ cheerful self."

Roach sighed heavily and looked wistfully at the rec room doors. Chris wondered what the hell that was about.

"Dude, have a seat and play a few rounds with me," said Toad, nodding at Archer's now vacant seat and pulling his feet down.

"Yeah alright," said Roach, smiling and sitting down.

Chris scooped up the cards and began shuffling them. Roach pulled out a cigarette and lit up. He took a long drag and looked a little calmer. It dawned on Toad that Roach was possibly trying to befriend Archer, but that endeavor was doomed to fail. He was sure that even though the 141 were a tight knit group Archer didn't consider anyone a friend.

"Word of advice," said Toad as he dealt the cards. "Don't bring up philosophical or ethical shit around Archer unless you're prepared. He takes it fucking seriously."

"I'll remember that," said Gary, nodding slowly.

Toad smirked. "Now… ready to have your ass handed to you?"

Roach laughed. "In your dreams."

* * *

**A/N**: This was based on a post over at the aquestionofcharacter blog on tumblr that asked how would your character answer and/or react to the Trolley Problem. Apparently Archer doesn't like being in scenarios where he can't save everyone!

Comments and constructive crit welcome as always.


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